Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Says Vikings Aren't Locked Into Drafting a QB

But also, what else was he going to say?

Author:
Will Ragatz
Publish date:
Mar 14, 2024 4:06 PM EDT

In this story:

Speaking to local reporters on Thursday amid an eventful week that saw Kirk Cousins sign with the Falcons, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was asked if Cousins' departure locks the team into needing to draft a quarterback this year.

"No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "I would not say that."

It should be noted that there was really no other way for Adofo-Mensah to answer that question. What was he going to do, say "yeah, pretty much" and make it crystal clear to other teams that the Vikings will be targeting a QB in the first round next month?

With Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall as the Vikings' current quarterback room, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out their biggest need heading into April's draft. Other teams are well aware that Minnesota needs a QB. But that doesn't mean there would be any benefit to Adofo-Mensah publicly admitting as much.

"When you think about team-building, that position, I think it's some scale of quarterback play and then the rest around it (being what matters)," he said. "You can look at last year's Super Bowl for your own example of that. So when you talk about that, you're trying to figure out which path you're on, and which avenue you're going to be on.

"Really, as we enter this draft, we have the flexibility to go either way. If the opportunity comes where that player is available, we'll take it. If it's not available, we'll continue to build around (the QB position) and then find potential odds at a long-term solution, in addition to what we've already brought in with Sam (Darnold) and anybody else we acquire. The answer isn't some strict thing, and part of that is the flexibility we've wanted to put into our plan these past couple years."

It's true that the Vikings can't head into this draft having already decided that they're going to take a quarterback in the first round no matter what. Their evaluations of the QBs in this class, their evaluations of non-QBs, and what other teams end up doing are all factors that matter. They also can't just tell the team picking third, fourth, or fifth to name their price in a potential trade for that selection.

Still, it feels pretty crystal clear that this is a year where the Vikings are going to try very hard to land a QB they like, even if that means moving up to do it. Going into the season with just Darnold, Mullens, and a non-first round QB flier would be tough to rationalize, especially considering what the 2025 quarterback class looks like.